Scheduled MonumentsScotlandSt Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso
Medieval · Old parish church,fetteresso

St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso

Scotland
HES SM5555
Period
Medieval
Site type
Old parish church,fetteresso
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

St Ciaran's Church is a medieval parish church located in Fetteresso, Kincardineshire. The building stands on bedrock of the Stonehaven Group, Ludlow age strata comprising sandstone with subordinate conglomerate and siltstone, geology that characterises this coastal lowland area of the northeast Scottish coast. The church is named for St Ciaran, an early Christian saint, reflecting the long Christian heritage of the locality.

The structure represents the established Church's presence in medieval Fetteresso, serving as the focal point of parish worship and community life. Churches of this period typically functioned as spiritual, administrative and social centres for their surrounding settlements. The stone construction draws on the local sandstone bedrock, a practical choice for medieval builders in Kincardineshire.

The church is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5555, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. The designation reflects the monument's importance in understanding medieval religious, social and settlement patterns in Kincardineshire. The site remains a key element in the cultural and spiritual landscape of Fetteresso parish.

St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5555. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso?

St Ciaran's Church is a medieval parish church located in Fetteresso, Kincardineshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5555.

What period does St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso date from?

St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a old parish church,fetteresso. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso?

St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM5555.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Unenclosed settlement, 250m NW of cemetery, Kirkton of Fetteresso (0.6 km), Gallow Hill,cairn (1.4 km), Cowie Line, pill boxes & anti-tank blocks 200m SW-275m SE of Ury House (2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso

St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso stands on Stonehaven Group, bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate and siltstone.

The wider landscape

Around St Ciaran's Church,old parish church,Fetteresso

Battle of HarlawBattle (1411) · ~24.5 miles